Odds & Ends: Phillies, Hendrickson, Sheets, Brewers, Hinske
A few links to start the day…
- Andy Martino of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the Phillies will prioritze defensive versatility over power when filling Matt Stairs' roster spot, though Stairs, Miguel Cairo, and Paul Bako are welcome to come to Spring Training on minor league deals.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com has an update on the Orioles' negotations with Mark Hendrickson. Last month we learned that Hendrickson hoped to re-sign quickly.
- ESPN's Keith Law wrote about players coming off injury, and notes that Ben Sheets is worth gambling on, considering his upside.
- Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com say that despite the Brewers' logjam on the infield, a trade will probably not happen "unless some club offers the pitching equivalent of (Mat) Gamel."
- David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News takes a look at the Phillies' pitching staff to see which free agents may or may not fit.
- R.J. Anderson at FanGraphs wrote about free agent (and good luck charm) Eric Hinske, while his blogmate Dave Cameron took a look at some interesting minor league free agents.
- Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan took the time to speak with Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com about several of the team's 2009 draft picks.
- Buddy Carlyle has joined the Nippon Ham Fighters, according to Kyodo News.
- Not only do players truly hit the open market on Friday, but teams must also set their 40-man rosters for next month's Rule 5 Draft that day as well. Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal Constitution writes about a player the Braves may choose to protect, while Erik Hahmann of DRays Bay looks back at Tampa Bay's history in the Rule 5.
- Speaking of Morosi and O'Brien, make sure you follow both guys on Twitter!,
DeWitt On Matt Holliday, Trades
Cardinals' chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. was a guest on Bernie Miklasz's 101 ESPN radio show today, and spoke about free agent Matt Holliday (among other topics). Let's round the discussion up…
- The team still plans to make a serious push to retain Holliday, but DeWitt admitted that if a big-market club decides to go all out to sign him, they probably "don't have a chance."
- The Cardinals haven't made an offer during the 15-day exclusive-right window simply because Scott Boras has made it clear he's taking Holliday on the open market.
- DeWitt doesn't regret trading three prospects for Holliday, including 2008 first round pick Brett Wallace, because the goal was winning in 2009.
- He also acknowledges that trading for Holliday and Mark DeRosa thinned out the team's farm system, but he believes the club still has prospects that will draw interest from other clubs.
- If the Cardinals fail to re-sign Holliday, DeWitt said they would use the money set aside for him to improve other areas of the roster, depending on the player(s) and if it makes sense.
Mets Intrigued By Pineiro
According to a team insider, the Mets are "particularly intrigued" by free agent righty Joel Pineiro, says Adam Rubin of The NY Daily News. The Mets are rumored to be looking to add an innings eater to their rotation, and Pineiro would fit that bill.
The 31-year-old led the big leagues with a 1.14 BB/9 this year, the lowest in four years by a pitcher who threw at least 200 innings according to Rubin. Pineiro's 60.5% ground ball rate also led the majors. He just finished up a two-year extension with St. Louis that paid him $7.5MM in 2009, though FanGraphs valued his performance at $21.5MM.
Takahashi Eyeing The Major Leagues
According to Bobbie Dittmeier of MLB.com, Japanese lefthander Hisanori Takahashi declared free agency on Tuesday, and said he wants to try his luck in the Major Leagues.
"I decided I wanted to try out for the Majors three days ago," Takahashi said, according to sponichi.co.jp. "If I didn't have confidence in myself, I wouldn't have made the decision. I want to go to a team that needs me. I'd be extremely happy if I'm used as a starter."
"It's a dream I have," Takahashi said. "And I'd like to attain that dream. Seeing (Koji) Uehara in the Majors, that made me want to go to the Majors even more. I want to return to the days of being a rookie and take on this new challenge."
A former teammate of Uehara and Hideki Matsui, the 34-year-old Takahashi had a 2.94 ERA in 25 games last year, striking out 126 in 144 innings. He has spent his entire career with the Yomiuri Giants, and owns a career 3.70 ERA with 7.25 K/9.
Reliever Ryota Igarashi has already made it known that he plans to pursue a career in the big leagues next year.
Angels Focused Lackey & Figgins, Not Holliday
Yesterday we heard that the Angels were interested in free agent outfielder Matt Holliday, but GM Tony Reagins spoke to Mike DiGiovanna of The LA Times and shot down that rumor.
"He's a talented player," Reagins said of Holliday, who hit .313 with 24 home runs and 109 runs batted in for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals in 2009 and could command a deal in excess of $100 million. "But our focus is not on him right now."
Instead, the team is focused on re-signing John Lackey and Chone Figgins, according to DiGiovanna. Reagins indicated that he knows "where both of them stand," though he acknowledged that they have earned the right to "see what their value is."
DiGiovanna adds that the team has had discussions with Darren Oliver and Vladimir Guerrero, and that he doesn't expect the team's payroll (about $114MM last year) to be reduced "significantly."
Olney On Lackey, Astros, Rangers, Doumit, Carroll
In today's blog post at ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes about Michael Bourn, and how he went from hitting .218 with a .273 OBP in the first half of 2008 to hitting .285 with a .354 OBP in 2009 thanks to a suggestion from Astros' coach Dave Clark.
Here's a roundup of Olney's rumors…
- The Angels last offer to John Lackey was a $72MM package, made earlier this year.
- Olney's educated guess is that the Mariners are the best bet to sign Lackey, followed in order by the Angels, Brewers, Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees.
- Olney hears that the Astros "are cutting payroll, and will have the flexibility to make only minor moves, such as getting a right-handed hitting third baseman, to platoon with Geoff Blum."
- Tom Hicks is still trying to find a way to hold onto the Rangers, but bids from prospective buyers are due next week.
- The Pirates "first made it clear" they were willing to deal Ryan Doumit before the trade deadline, while the Dodgers have been having "internal conversations" about bringing Jamey Carroll aboard as a utility infielder.
Odds & Ends: Lackey, Bay, Matsui, Wilson
Some links to start off your weekend…
- Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says the Red Sox are just doing their due diligence by touching base with John Lackey's agent, reminding us that they also spoke to CC Sabathia's and A.J. Burnett's representatives last offseason.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier breaks down Joe Urbon's pitch for his client, free agent outfielder Jason Bay.
- Hideki Matsui acknowledged that he'd be disappointed if he didn't return to the Yankees, according to Anthony McCarron of The NY Daily News. Godzilla says that his agent Arn Tellem is taking care of the situation, but he doesn't think the two sides have had any discussions yet.
- ESPN's Rob Neyer says that Jack Wilson's defense is definitely worth the $10MM the Mariners gave him yesterday.
- Steve Slowinski at DRays Bay goes back and evaluates the deal that brought Mitch Talbot and Ben Zobrist to Tampa in exchange for Aubrey Huff.
- Edgardo Alfonzo still thinks he could be valuable utility player and has two or three years of baseball left, according to The NY Post's Kevin Kernan. The 36-year-old hasn't played in the big leagues since 2006.
Curtis Granderson Rumors: Saturday
Cubs' GM Jim Hendry "absolutely" is interested in offering a prospect-heavy package to the Tigers for Curtis Granderson according to a source close to the team, says Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune. Yesterday we heard that the two sides were not yet in trade talks, but Rogers' source says that Hendry and Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski "spoke about Granderson and other Tigers players during the GM meetings earlier in the week at the O'Hare Hilton."
So far we've heard that the Cubs, Angels, and Yankees have interest in the 28-year-old outfielder. Granderson hit .249/.327/.453 in 710 plate appearances this year, though ESPN's Keith Law says he's become just a platoon player because of his struggles against southpaws.
Tigers Talk: Verlander, Payroll, Free Agents
Steve Kornacki of MLive.com has plenty of material from Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski for us this morning, but it's all spread out among several articles. We're here to make things easy for you, so let's round 'em up…
- Dombrowski indicated that no player on his team is untouchable, but "there are some on our club that we want to hold on to." He also added that there was more trade talk at the GM meetings this year than in previous years.
- The team obviously wants to keep Justin Verlander around for a long time, but Dombrowski wouldn't comment about the possibility of locking him up to a long-term deal. "I won't get into that because that is best kept internal," he said. Verlander can become a free agent after the 2011 season.
- Dombrowksi acknowledged that the team is "looking to be fiscally responsible," citing economic changes in the community.
- The Tigers called both Jarrod Washburn and Aubrey Huff this week to let them to know the team won't be pursuing them. We first heard the team won't attempt the re-sign the two a little over a week ago.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the team has had contact with the agents for Fernando Rodney, Brandon Lyon, Placido Polanco, and Adam Everett, but the talks were believed to be just preliminary.
Odds & Ends: Lackey, Upton, De La Rosa, Wood
Some more links to check out as you celebrate the end of the work week…
- MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez confirms that the Red Sox did indeed meet with John Lackey's agent. This morning we learned that Boston expressed preliminary interest in the free agent hurler.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Rangers asked the Rays about outfielder B.J. Upton as part of their offseason routine, but no talks are ongoing.
- Rockies' GM Dan O'Dowd said that they will only look at a one year deal for the arbitration eligible Jorge De La Rosa, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- ESPN's Keith Law writes that Indians' closer Kerry Wood could be a "nice pickup on the cheap for a team unwilling to go multiple years" on some of the free agent closers. Wood is owed $10.5MM in 2010, with an $11MM club option for 2011 that could vest based on games finished.
- The Pirates intend to be more aggressive in Japan, says MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. Picking up Akinori Iwamura will help put the team on the radar of Japanese players looking to come to the U.S.
- ESPN's Peter Gammons writes about the impact of the economy on the free agent market, among other things.
- Giants' prospect Angel Villalona had his visa revoked by the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. Villalona was charged with killing a man in the Dominican back in September.
- Ben Kabak at River Ave. Blues takes a look at each of the Yankees' five arbitration eligible players.